Mark Neuberger Highlights Employer Considerations for Return to Office
Foley & Lardner LLP of counsel Mark Neuberger highlighted several considerations for employers pivoting away from telework in the Law360 article, “4 Pitfalls Employers Face When They Wean Off Remote Work.”
“Number one: Do you have the physical space to accomodate everybody?” Neuberger asked. “There have been reports in the general media of companies that have called people back and didn’t have enough space, and then it was alleged that those were hidden layoffs in a sense.”
He noted too how return to office can impact time off. “If they’re in the office all the time, there may be leave issues in that people probably were taking casual time off for doctor’s appointments, childcare issues, and other personal matters that weren’t obvious to the employer because they were doing it while they were at home,” Neuberger explained. “Now, they may become more obvious to the employer. Of course, there’s a whole panoply of [Family and Medical Leave Act], state and local leaves laws…that the employer is going to have to comply with.”
Employers may also need to adjust day-today logistics in the office, Neuberger commented, including retuning how meetings are conducted and recognizing that employees may need time to properly adjust to working in close proximity to others.
“Some companies have gotten so comfortable and used to operating in a totally remote [environment] that coming back and operating in a physically together mode will require operational changes of some type, and perhaps cultural alterations in the organization,” he added. “Be prepared for that, and be prepared to manage that.”
(Subscription required)